The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Idaho House Bill 796 restricts sexually explicit materials in schools and public libraries, authorizing civil lawsuits and damages for non-compliance
Last action · March 2, 2026: Reported Printed and Referred to State Affairs
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Proposed
MINORS – Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding material harmful to minors.
Schools and public libraries face potential civil lawsuits, injunctions, and statutory damages of $250 per successful action if they fail to relocate or restrict access to designated materials within 60 days of receiving a written parental request.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Minors
Minors experience restrictions on accessing certain sexually explicit or harmful materials within public libraries and school facilities.
Parents and Legal Guardians
Parents and legal guardians gain the right to submit written notices for material relocation and file civil lawsuits seeking statutory damages against non-compliant schools and libraries.
Public Schools
Public schools must restrict access to sexually explicit materials, establish review policies and forms, and face potential civil liability and injunctions for non-compliance.
Public Libraries
Public libraries must restrict access to harmful and sexually explicit materials, provide review request mechanisms, and face potential lawsuits and injunctions.
Key Facts
- Private schools and public libraries are prohibited from promoting, giving, or making available to minors any material that is sexually explicit and harmful to minors.
- Public schools and public libraries are prohibited from promoting, giving, or making available to minors any material that is sexually explicit.
- Minors, parents, or legal guardians can bring a civil cause of action against a school or public library if the institution fails to relocate requested material to an adults-only section within 60 days of receiving written notice.
- Plaintiffs prevailing in an action under the Children's School and Library Protection Act may recover $250 in statutory damages, actual damages, and injunctive relief.
Show all 8 facts
- County prosecuting attorneys and the attorney general are granted a cause of action for injunctive relief against any school or public library violating these restrictions.
- Schools and public libraries must maintain a policy and readily accessible form allowing persons to request the review of material considered harmful to minors or sexually explicit.
- Disseminating material harmful to minors is classified as a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in county jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.
- Stores selling or renting obscene materials or materials harmful to minors within 2,500 feet of a school, church, or place of worship face misdemeanor charges and immediate temporary restraining orders.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must a parent or legal guardian do before filing a lawsuit against a school or library?
Are there exceptions for educational or religious texts?
What are the penalties for individuals convicted of disseminating material harmful to minors?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
2 actions- Mar 2, 2026CommitteeReported Printed and Referred to State Affairs
- Feb 27, 2026IntroducedIntroduced, read first time, referred to JRA for Printing
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Expansion of Civil Liability for Educational and Public Library Entities
House Bill 796 introduces civil liability and statutory damages for public and private schools and public libraries that fail to comply with material relocation requests from parents.
Connected Entities
Sources
legislature.idaho.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy85Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz65Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools